Meet The Illustrator: Rachel Horne

Name: Rachel Horne

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
I’d say my work is whimsical, quirky and simple

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
I’ve had a few different creative spaces but one thing that has been present in all of them (apart from hot drinks and music) is found objects. I love collecting things I find outside, be it bits of nature, metal, anything really that spikes my interest. What I really like is then being able to incorporate them into my work, though this is probably more visible in my 3d work like my paper-maché houses.


Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
I like to use varied materials when I’m working and hardly ever just use one but I really love to paint and my current favourite is acrylic-gouache.

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
There are so many but three artists that come to mind straightaway are Mary Fedden, Alfred Wallis and Laura Carlin.

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
I’m pretty happy where we are to be honest. I love the fact that art is so easily accessible these days and there are so many different ways of making art and sharing it too.

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
I loved reading as a child but would get really excited by books that had illustrations, even the black and white ones - I felt like there was so much more being said in the pictures. I suppose my love of illustration began then.

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
This is my studio which is in the upper part of my house. I feel lucky to have such a big space. Despite my best efforts, I make quite a bit of mess when I’m working so it’s looking quite tidy here.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?

I love it when I’ve almost finished a painting and it’s just a question of adding the finishing touches, the little things that can often just bring the whole piece to life.

What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
I’d say if it’s what you really want to do then just keep going, work regularly, be open to learning new skills, nurture your own style and when possible avoid comparing your work to other people’s.

Rachel lives in France but was born and grew up in the North of England. She feels lucky to spend most weekdays in her studio with her dog-come-studio-assistant, Ziggy. In other news Rachel is working on some illustrations for a couple of children’s books she has written.

For more information, please visit Rachel's website or follow her on instagram.

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Andrew Dittmer on Three Different and Creative Story Time Ideas

Review: Off the Map

Collections of short stories are not published frequently enough to satisfy those who love compact reading. Scot Gardner’s gripping collection in Off the Map, will surprise and satisfy even the most discerning reader.

One thing that connects these life situations is the setting. Each story is a profile of a young person on the cusp of adulthood, some dilemma they are experiencing or some wisdom that they will gain. In many, there is an unexpected twist which you won’t see coming that will throw you off balance, in a good way.

Filled with life lessons, these superbly structured stories mirror the Australian landscape and all its beauty and challenges, which are also reflected in the characters’ lives.

Trying to list the themes that are covered is like presenting a list of a restaurant’s menu.

There is the naturalness of death, the lack of importance for a materialistic world, secrets kept from children by their parents and the pain at their revelation, how truth can be stranger than fiction, the abject fear of being alone on an isolated property during a storm without power, music and the different things it means to different people, family breakdown, and what glues families together including grief and loss.

The desserts are not listed, but are there to be discovered.

Every word is in its place and there for a purpose. Gardner knows his characters intimately, and reveals their weaknesses and strengths, and their natural place in the world.

This is for picking up and putting down. But there is no guarantee that you will be able to put it down once you have started. Too good for words!

Title: Off the Map
Author: Scot Gardner
Publisher:Allen & Unwin, $19.99
Publication Date: 30 March 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760877101
For ages: 14 – 18
Type: Young Adult Fiction

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10 Quirky Questions with author/illustrator Ruth Waters

1. What's your hidden talent?
Well, I’ve been sitting here for quite a while trying to work out if I actually have a hidden talent! Whilst doing that, my mind began to wander and 10 minutes went by before I remembered that I’m supposed to be answering this question... So back to this question — my hidden talent would be my ability to daydream. Not often recognised as a talent but for me it helps enormously with my job as an author and illustrator, thinking up stories and characters.

2. Who is your favourite literary villain and why?
Oh, a great question! So, it’s either Mr and Mrs Twit or The Grand High Witch from The Witches. I vividly remember my dad reading The Twits to me when I was aged 6 or 7 and finding them fantastically revolting. The way Roald Dahl describes the little bits of food Mr Twit has living in his beard is just so disgustingly evocative. That said, I didn’t find them frightening, unlike the wicked Grand High Witch. Even now, I find her absolutely terrifying!

3. You're hosting a literary dinner party, which five authors would you invite? (alive or dead)
Ohhh… Has George Clooney ever written a book?! Seriously, I would go for Agatha Christie, CS Lewis, Roald Dahl, Charles Dickens and Philip Pullman.

4. Which literary invention do you wish was real?
Oh the chocolate river in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory of course!

5. What are five words that describe your illustrating process?
Handmade, messy, tactile, imaginative, time consuming.

6. Which are the five words you would like to be remembered by as a writer or illustrator?
She was good at cutting. (I make my illustrations using collage!)

7. Picture your favourite creative space. What are five objects you would find there?
Big window (I like lots of natural light), good chair (I’ve got a sore back), big desk (as a collage artist, I am consistently surrounded by a lot of paper and mess, and can never have a big enough desk to contain it all!), good lamp (I tend to work late into the evening, so a good lamp is essential for when I’m illustrating), good computer with lots of storage space!

8. Grab the nearest book, open it to page 22 and look for the second word in the first sentence. Now, write a line that starts with that word. (Please include the name of the book!)
Fur. His fur is black, his stripe is white. So I’ve slightly cheated as the nearest book was one I wrote – Love from Australia!

9. If you could ask one author or illustrator one question, what would the question be and who would you ask?
Rather than ask a question, can I just sit quietly in the corner and watch the process of how an the illustrator makes their artwork? I’m a big fan of Britta Teckentrup’s work so I’d love to get an insight into her making process.

10. Which would you rather do: 'Never write or draw another story or never read another book'?
Oh my goodness. You can’t ask me that! That’s almost impossible. I think begrudgingly I have to say never read another book. I just can’t imagine not being able to draw again. It keeps me sane!

Ruth Waters has written and illustrated picture books, including Not So Scary Bear, Not So Quiet Mouse, Not So Busy Bee and Love from Australia. She also illustrated There's a Tiger Out There written by Sophie Masson. Ruth creates her illustrations using collage. Made by hand, she paints, cuts and layers paper to make unique, colourful and fun pictures.  She has been long-listed for the World Illustration Awards 2020 and was short-listed for the World Illustration Awards 2019, Children's Book New Talent category. For more information, see www.ruth-waters.com.

 

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Look What I'm Reading! Kesta Fleming

Kesta Fleming is a writer and poet, and author of the Marlow Brown chapter book series for seven-to ten-year-old. She lives in Melbourne with her husband, two teenagers and a Brittany Spaniel, and divides her time between writing for children and her therapeutic work helping people manage stress and anxiety. Her latest book is Marlow Brown: Magician in the Making.

Which children’s book are you currently reading?
I’m reading The Call by Peadar O’Guilin.

 
 

Can you tell us in two sentences what the book is about?
It’s a YA book about the revenge of the fairy people from Irish folklore who have been banished by humans over a 1000 years ago to a parallel, nightmarish realm. Irish teenagers are snatched in turn for 3 minutes of human time (24 hours in the fairy realm) where they are hunted down and killed unless they can outrun the fairy people.

How much did you enjoy/are enjoying this title?
I’m thoroughly enjoying it so far! It reminds me of The Hunger Games, which interestingly, I didn’t enjoy. (Too much horror and I’m not into horror.) Somehow, being human vs non-human makes the concept and the grimness in The Call more palatable in my eyes. It’s hard to put down.

What made you choose this title? Was it a review, advertising, the cover, the blurb, the author/illustrator, or the subject/genre?
I belong to an excellent book club of children’s authors, librarians and lovers of kid lit and our theme this month was Ireland. So, we’re reading a picture book, a junior fiction and a young adult book by Irish authors. The Call is the YA choice. One of the things I like about this book club is that I get to read books I wouldn’t necessarily pick up myself. This is one of those books.

What other titles are on your bedside table /To Read Pile?
My ‘to read’ pile is a combination of actual piles scattered around the house—like the toppling stack of picture books on the floor in my study—and a virtual stack of books I’ve noted for future reference on Goodreads. It’s also a mix of adult fiction and non-fiction, and children's. Amongst these piles are The Hug by Eoin McLoughlin and Polly Dunbar, What Not to Do If You Turn Invisible by Ross Welford and Raymund and the Fear Monster by Megan Higginson.

How did you come by these titles: personal choice/request, publisher’s review copy, or other?
The Hug is the picture book pick for book club this month – another Irish themed book. What Not to Do If You Turn Invisible is a junior fiction personal choice as I really enjoyed Ross Welford’s Time Travelling with a Hamster, and Raymund and the Fear Monster is a picture book by a fellow writer in an online group I belong to which I’ve been meaning to read for a while.

Do you have a favourite genre? If so, what is it, and why do you prefer it?
I don’t have a single favourite genre, but I do enjoy fantasy, particularly those books where the characters go between the known and a fantasy world, and those where the two worlds blur in some way. Time-slip and paranormal stories have always intrigued me. I think it’s because they feel almost possible somehow.

It’s easier to put myself in the shoes of a real world character who then experiences something out of the ordinary, than it is to identify with characters who aren’t human, or who don’t inhabit the same kind of world as me in the first place.

Do you read from printed books or some other medium? Please expand a little on the why of your choice.
I read printed books. I find it far more relaxing to curl up with a paper book on the couch with a cuppa to hand, than to read from a screen. I spend a lot of my day on my laptop, and screens feel like work to me. I find printed books easier on the eyes too. And if we’re talking picture books, then of course it needs to be the physical book if I’m going to fully appreciate the art work.

www.kestafleming.com








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Review: Where The Magic Happens

Review: Puffin Little Historian: Dinosaurs

Do you love dinosaurs? Do you know someone who does?

Join little puffin in his dinosaur museum and learn about the prehistoric world in this lovely non-fiction gem.

Part of the Puffin Little, Little Historian series, Dinosaurs explores everything about dinosaurs, from what exactly they are (and why no dinosaurs swam in the seas), evolution, extinction, fossils and palaeontology.

The book explores the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods and goes into loads of details on a range of different dinosaurs from each period.

There’s all your favourites and the well knowns, plus lots of others you’ll likely never have heard of. The info is easy to read in large text, the explanations are simple and kid-friendly, and there’s loads of extra details for the dinosaur-extremist who wants to know all the things!

In typically Puffin Little style, the book is scattered with lovely illustrations in black, white, grey and a featured coloured (this time purple). It’s very welcoming and engaging — the perfect bite-sized fact book.

And for more great non-fiction gems, check out Little Scientist: The Solar System, Little Scientist: Robotics and Little Environmentalist: Composting.

Title: Puffin Little Historian: Dinosaurs
Publisher: Puffin, $12.99
Publication Date: 4 May 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761041716
For ages: 7+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction

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Review: I'm Fabulous Crab!

Henry the hermit crab is sick of hiding away, creeping along the sea floor trying to avoid predators. 

Enough is enough.

‘I’m done being dreary.
I’m done being drab.
I’m done being Henry… I’m Fabulous Crab!’

When Fabulous steps onto the scene, his fabulous-ness really shines. He finds glimmering, shimmery sparkle and piles it onto his shell. 

But when he goes a little bit too far, and some big fishy meanies come after him, what will Fabulous do?

This is a fun and funky rhyming tale about daring to be yourself — taking risks and being brave. With a fun surprise ending, it’s fresh and giggle-inducing, and will 100% bring a smile to your face.

Nicki Greenberg’s colourful illustrations shine in this picture book. With splashes of mixed media and loads of colour, it’s a visual feast for the eyes, and there’s lots to explore as you turn the pages. 

Inspired by the underwater world of the Great Barrier Reef, which Nikki explored by snorkeling to research for the book, I’m Fabulous Crab! is a beautiful showcase of our ocean and the beauty that can be found at the bottom of the sea. And who’s to say there aren’t fabulous crabs down there just like Fab!

Filled with fun, humour and inspiration to be fabulous, I’m Fabulous Crab! is a glorious, sparkly read. Perfect for classroom and family reading time, it’s a picture book winner!

Title: I'm Fabulous Crab!
Author/Illustrator: Nicki Greenberg
Publisher: Affirm Press, $19.99
Publication Date: 27 April 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781922400734
For ages: 3 - 6
Type:  Picture Book

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Review: Baz & Benz

In Baz & Benz, two delightful owl characters take readers on a cute and thought provoking exploration of true friendship. 

As Baz and Benz sit wide-eyed in a tree in the afternoon light, Baz the small owl asks Benz if they are friends, in sure confidence Benz answers that they are in fact ‘bestest friends’. Then, like an inquisitive child, Baz continues, page-by-page through the night and into the morning with a series of curious but innocent questions about their friendship, Baz even tests their bond along the way. 

The engaging two way conversation between the characters builds momentum and excitement with each page turn, especially when there are fun ‘meeping’ sounds to make! 

I adore the digital design with minimal, cosy colour palette, bold shapes and textures which roll with the story oh so perfectly. The use of light to show night to day is wonderful, and those big round owl eyes bring an array of character and story telling in themselves. 

Ending with a wholesome, feel-good message about genuine friendship and what it can withstand, this story is perfect for groups or one-on-one reading. It’s also well suited to young primary aged children who are learning to read. 

Heidi McKinnon is an author and illustrator based in Melbourne, Australia. Baz & Benz was released in 2019, it is Heidi’s second author illustrated picture book, following I Just Ate My Friend.

Title: Baz & Benz
Author/Illustrator: Heidi McKinnon
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $24.99
Publication Date: 4 March 2019
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781760523688
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Ernest the Elephant

Anthony Browne is a British author- illustrator who has produced over fifty books for children. 

He is also a former British Children's laureate.

In his latest book, Ernest the Elephant, the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, brimming with colour and detail.

The narrative takes the classic story structure of the hero leaving a secure base to pursue an adventure and ultimately discovering there's no place like home. 

This story, however, had something missing. Ernest had very little agency in his quest other than deciding to leave the herd to go and explore the jungle, and getting himself lost. 

Sacred and confused, Ernest asks for help from the various big and powerful creatures he encounters, and gets flatly refused. These animals were illustrated beautifully, but their indifference to Ernest's plight was left unexplained. 

In the end, a small creature approaches him and offers to help. It basically solves the problem for Ernest. Browne's message was that smaller doesn't mean less effective. 

You can read reviews of other of Browne's books  here and here.

 

Title: Ernest the Elephant
Author: Anthony Browne
Illustrator: Anthony Browne
Publisher: Walker Australia, $27.99
Publication Date: 5 May 2021
Format: Hardback
ISBN: 9781406395099
For ages: 3 +
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Can't Say It Went To Plan

Review: The Vanishing at the Very Small Castle: Butter O'Bryan Mysteries #2

Book 2 in the Butter O'Bryan Mysteries finds us at Howlers Beach in 1932 during the Depression. Dr O’Bryan is away with Gil on a journey of repair, recovery and healing after the boy contracts polio.

At the Very Small Castle, Butter is no longer lonely, because Gil, Tish, Olive and the three-legged dog Woofer, have now become family.

A monster appears at their door one stormy night. Of course, the three Aunts – Cake, Elephant and Peculiar, rally to feed him and discover what he’s doing there. 

Tish takes an immediate liking to the giant Marvin, who is not really a monster but an actor. Where fear and horror should have reared its head, kindness and friendship is offered and accepted.

Hot on his heels, filmmakers Rose and her sister Marigold appear.

They are wanting to use the castle for a monster movie with Marvin and the fabulous vaudeville star, Delilah Divine in the leading role.

The Aunts agree on the condition that the family takes a small part in the film.

What starts as the story line for the film, ends entirely different with the shuffling around of the script to accommodate the children.

When Delilah disappears in the middle of the filming, it is up to Butter, the mystery solver, to discover what happened to her.

During his search for Delilah, Butter becomes aware that no one is what they say they are or appear to be. The plot thickens when deception is peeled away layer by layer, and the raw truth is exposed.

This brilliant mystery series presents a strong sense of time and place. The representation of compassion and generosity frequently shown toward the susso communities by people better off, is paramount to the story, as is the character of Marvin the monster.

His role subtly accentuates the despair of soldiers who returned from the war damaged in body, mind and spirit, haunted for the remainder of their lives by what they had seen and done. 

Brought to attention, is the crucial fact that there was no support or help of any kind offered to return soldiers.

Jackie French once again, serves up a wonderful novel based on Australian history, full of startling characters, wonderful scenes and important underlying messages.

Title: The Vanishing at the Very Small Castle: Butter O'Bryan Mysteries #2
Author: Jackie French
Publisher: Harper Collins, $16.99
Publication Date: 7 April 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781460757734
For ages: 10+
Type: Historical Fiction

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Review: The Oo in Uluru

Video: Ginger Meggs

Australia's longest-running comic strip is Ginger Meggs, which was first created in 1921 by Jimmy Bancks. Now his great great nephew, author Tristan Bancks has created four new Ginger Meggs stories to celebrate 100 years of Ginger Meggs. They've been illustrated by cartoonist and illustrator, Jason Chatfield, who is the current Ginger Meggs cartoonist. This new Ginger Meggs collection will be enjoyed by new, young readers as well as adult readers who may want to reminisce about reading the comic in their younger years.

Title: Ginger Meggs
Author: Tristan Bancks
Illustrator: Jason Chatfield
Publisher: Puffin, $ 24.99
Publication Date: May 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760894818
For ages: 8+
Type: Comics

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Review: Puffin Little Environmentalist: Gardening

Gardening is loads of fun, but there can be a lot to it, and sometimes it's tricky. 

With Little Environmentalist: Gardening, you’ll have everything you need to get your garden started.

Find out how plants grow, how to plan a garden and how to care for it. 

Learn about garden wildlife, planting natives and growing for the kitchen.

I love how the book steps you through what is a plant, outlining the different parts of plants and how they use water and the sun to grow. 

It also goes through germination, so you get a real understanding of the life cycle of a plant, as well as how to grow your new plants.

The information is super easy to understand and laid out in bite-sized sections, so it’s easy to work your way through the book.

There’s also loads of ideas and inspiration for creating simple gardens, like using egg cartons and old gumboots for garden beds. And there's a glossary at the back so you can cement your learning or double check terms you don’t know.

Very fittingly, green is the colour that features in this book, along with darling black and white images peppered throughout.

Little Environmentalist: Gardening is a perfect book for kids interested in plants, but it’s packed full of really helpful information for adults too (I learnt a lot!). It would be a great book to read as a family or classroom and start a garden growing adventure together.

And if you love this one, you may also enjoy other non-fiction gems in the Puffin Little series, including: Little Scientist: The Solar System, Little Scientist: Robotics and Little Environmentalist: Composting.

Title: Little Environmentalist: Gardening
Publisher: Puffin, $12.99
Publication Date: 4 May 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781761041709
For ages: 7+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction

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Review: Marlow Brown - Magician in the Making

Marlow Brown is still trying to discover what she wants to be. In the first book, Marlow Brown: Scientist in the Making, she found science stimulating. 

Now she is back in Marlow Brown: Magician in the Making, interested in another challenge, and with more magic tricks than you can poke a sparkly spinning pen at.

Mervin’s Magic Show is appearing at the showground. Marlow has arranged to meet her friend Felix and secure front row seats. Influenced by Mervin’s magical ability, Marlow decides that it’s a magician she wants to become.

With a show bag full of magical incentives plus a good dose of planning and practice, Marlow is convinced this is what she was meant to become.

A new notebook records all her attempts and failures in order to help perfect her tricks.

She begins with hypnotism which she tries on Felix. It doesn’t work. Then she tries the Houdini straight-jacket escape. No results. Even the water in the upside-down glass trick is a failure. But Marlow is not a girl to give up!

When a talent show at school is advertised, Marlow decides this is her opportunity to shine, so she sets out to refine her hypnotic skills.

Regardless of the endless practice, things go dreadfully wrong. First she loses her hypnotic stone and is forced to use her sparkly pen to hypnotize her subjects. This results in chaos.

There are many shocks and surprises for the budding magician. Something so unexpected happens that Marlow can barely believe it!

This well-researched, humorous and clever series by Kesta Fleming, encourages all children to attempt things that interest them, even when they appear gender specific or too hard. Failure is always a possibility, but trying will inspire attempts at other things.

It is written in a lighthearted tone that matches the many funny situations. Marjory Gardner’s fabulous illustrations bring it all to life, visually relaying the fun through the chapters. 

Entertaining characters and strong messages are added to the curious and deceptive things to be learnt about magic! Don’t forget to check out the end pages which have historical information about pen-spinning and some Try it Yourself tricks! 

I hope this series will continue further. I find it brilliant and highly suitable for children who find reading challenging.

Title: Marlow Brown - Magician in the Making
Author: Kesta Fleming
Illustrator: Marjory Gardner
Publisher: Celapene Press, $14.95
Publication Date: 1 June 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781925572193
For ages: 8+
Type: Middle Grade 

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Winner: Florence and Fox

Our lucky winner is...

Liz Dorrington, WA

Congratulations!

You have won a copy of the gorgeous new picture book, Florence & Fox by Zanni Louise and Anna Pignataro.

Enjoy!

Thank you to ALL who entered. We had some very interesting 'lessons' to mull over.

For those who missed out this time, read our review by Shaye and look out for these two gorgeous critters soon.

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Review: Freaky, Funky Fish: Odd Facts About Fascinating Fish

Do you like fish? What about weird and wonderful trivia?

Then Freaky, Funky Fish: Odd Facts About Fascinating Fish is a book you will love.

It's a rhyming, non-fiction picture book, particularly suitable for young children.

The text by Debra Kempf Shumaker is simple and rolls along like waves in the ocean. Read it out loud for the best effect.

You'll learn about fish that can sting, and fish that can coat themselves with snot! Just the kind of facts that will appeal to children of a certain age, and bound to be remembered!

This book is full of fun. From squirting fish and hibernating fish, to dancing fish and singing fish.

Claire Powell's illustrations are colourful caricatures and provide lots of detail. 

Labels tell you the official names of all the fish, and freaky and funky ratings let you know how weird and wonderful they are. The Coral Reef Frogfish scores a five out of five for freakiness, while the Batfish is given a four out of five funky rating. And there are lots more. 

As explained in notes at the back of the book, there are more than 32,000 species of fish. There are more than 25 that star in this book and you can keep track of them with the map and fish inventory provided on the endpapers. You can also explore them further using the included list of further learning resources and selected sources. 

Freaky, Funky Fish is a clever and creative book. If you want to engage children in the natural world, this is a great place to start.

Title: Freaky, Funky Fish
Author: Debra Kempf Shumaker
Illustrator: Claire Powell
Publisher: Allen & Unwin , $ 24.99
Publication Date: June 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781760526733
For ages: 4+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction

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Review: Oddity

I really enjoyed this quirky alternate-history fantasy novel. 

Set in the US in 1800's, where America is at war with Bonaparte's France, the story follows the adventures of thirteen-year-old Clover Elkins.

It has beautifully detailed line drawings by Karin Rytter that capture the  historical vibe perfectly.

Clover knows very little about her dead mother, other than she was a collector of "Oddities": regular looking objects that contain supernatural powers, such as a wineglass that flows with a never ending stream of wine (and drowns all onlookers). 

As these Oddities could be used as weapons in the war, there is a bounty on them. 

Clover is fascinated by the possibilities, but her father forbids Clover from seeking Oddities, knowing that they cannot be fully controlled and that ruthless forces are hunting them.

Clover's world is turned upside down when a group of cutthroats ambush and kill her father. 

With his dying words, he gives Clover some cryptic instructions about keeping a precious Oddity in his possession safe. And the adventure begins! 

Brown masterfully builds a rich and detailed world, and populates it with a variety of quirky characters. I particularly liked the rooster who had been a colonel in the American war of Independence. But the furious ragdoll was also fun!

The tension builds as the feisty and resourceful Clover has to figure out who to trust and to solve a mystery about her own past. Some of the bizarre creatures she has to fight are truly scary. 

This is a highly original and fun story. It is beautifully written and well paced. 

I'm not surprised that author, Eli Brown, won awards for his adult novel.  This is his debut children's' novel, and I hope it is not his last.

Title: Oddity
Author: Eli Brown
Illustrator: Karin Rytter
Publisher: Walker Books, $18.99
Publication Date: 5 May, 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781406389272
For ages: 11-14 years
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: Earth Matters: Loving Our Planet

Beautifully illustrated and filled with kid-friendly information about caring for our planet, Earth Matters: Loving Our Planet is a showstopper.

With a gorgeous textile cover in soft blues and aquas, open the book to learn about climate change in a welcoming, encouraging and supporting way. 

This book is fabulous. It steps out exactly what climate change is, explaining the Earth’s atmosphere, the greenhouse effect, greenhouse gases and what they mean for our planet.

There’s so much to learn in this book, and author Carol Wilkinson presents it so wonderfully. 

Coal, oil and gas are all explained, including where they come from and how they impact the earth. Renewable energies are explored, global warming and its consequences are explained and there’s heaps of facts about different kinds of waste (aluminium, plastic, glass and batteries).

There’s a lot to take in, but Wilkinson’s gentle and honest approach is really engaging, and every word has been presented with kids in mind. Big concept words are highlighted, and you can look them up in the glossary at the back. Information is presented in bite-sized chunks, allowing kids to really think about and absorb the information before moving on. A lot of care has gone into the creation of this book and it shows.

But this isn’t a book that only provides a discussion point for the ways in which our planet is hurting. There is hope in this book in the form of ideas and inspiration for taking steps to make a difference. And it’s simple stuff. Things kids and families can do to reduce their household carbon footprint today (carbon footprint is also explained!).

Turn off lights, walk or ride, buy less stuff, reuse things and be careful about what you put in the garbage bin. This would be a brilliant book for classrooms to study and for setting challenges for kids to help the planet. It’s the perfect size, with the perfect amount of text.

Add in Hilary Cresp’s illustrations, too, and wow! What more can you ask for? The beautiful colours from the cover are repeated throughout the book — all beautiful earthy colours to remind us of the beauty of our home. The illustrations are funky and fresh, bringing fun to the reading experience.

Earth Matters: Loving Our Planet ticks every box for a perfect non-fiction read for kids. Everything inside the glorious covers has been designed with kids in mind and the result is a beautiful and engaging book that entertains, educates and inspires kids to take action.

Title: Earth Matters: Loving Our Planet
Author: Carole Wilkinson
Illustrator: Hilary Crisp
Publisher: Wild Dog Books, $24.99
Publication Date: 29 March 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781742036014
For ages: 7+
Type: Junior Non-Fiction

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Review: Before You Were Born

Before You Were Born is a celebration of new life; diverse, multicultural and inclusive.

Stunning covers prepare readers for the content while understated end pages of delicate blue welcome.

The book opens on an outdoor scene. 

A baby shower is taking place beneath a tree with coloured fruit. Older and younger people sit together with expectant mothers, at a table displaying various types of edibles. They are surrounded by children.

There was a party just for you.

The following double spread shows the veranda of a farmhouse. Chickens and ducks, geese and cows in the pasture create diverse surroundings that match the people of all ages that stream through the gate. They carry food and flowers.

Family and friends all gathered there.

Women waiting to give birth, share the experience of the moving baby inside their body. They speak of hopes and dreams for their coming child. They are gathered on a blanket on the ground. Full bowls of food are being prepared and shared.

All talk was of you and when you would come.

The red earth that surrounds them is being churned by feet, dogs, and bike tyres.

The pages continue in this vein with reflections on what parents would say to their child as it grew, about the time they waited for its coming. Each one speaks of love and longing; some in different languages. All of them use the same words.

Preparations are made, not only for the child, but for the changes to the parents’ lives; the emotions, the imaginings, the future. Dreams that are born with the new life.

Your toys were all waiting…for you to be there.

Helene Magisson’s exquisite illustrations encompass all that Katrina Germein expresses in her verse text, and more. Visually stunning, this outstanding picture book represents every parent, regardless of their origins.

Title: Before You Were Born
Author: Katrina Germein
Illustrator: Helene Magisson
Publisher: Harper Collins, $19.99
Publication Date: 5 May 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9781876288150
For ages: 0 – 2
Type: Picture Book

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Guest Post: Katie Stewart on Becoming An Illustrator

Junior Review: Wink

Meet The Illustrator: Hilary Cresp

Name: Hilary Cresp

Describe your illustration style in ten words or less.
Pared back flat style using minimal palette

What items are an essential part of your creative space?
Paper, pencils, iPad and Procreate

Do you have a favourite artistic medium?
No

Name three artists whose work inspires you.
Dan Santant, Roger Duvoisin, Benji Davies

Which artistic period would you most like to visit and why?
Happy where I am, thanks :)

Who or what inspired you to become an illustrator?
My love of books

Can you share a photo of your creative work space or part of the area where you work most often? Talk us through it.
I have a space in the Nicholas Building on the corner of Flinders Lane and Swanston Street. It’s an artistic hub and I feel grateful to be here every time I walk in. Our space is a shared studio space with painters and other illustrators. It wraps around the internal lightwell, providing even southerly light through the day. We occasionally get visits from some little sparrows. It’s quiet and light and calm and welcoming.

What is your favourite part of the illustration process?
The breakthrough moment when it all falls into place.

 What advice would you give to an aspiring illustrator?
Have fun!
Draw everyday if you can (even if it’s in the sand with a stick) and it’s important to draw from life as well as your imagination
Go, be amazing!

 


Hilary has a curiosity about people and the natural world which she brings to her work: illustrating children’s books, designing characters and poster art. Her pictures evoke all the possibilities and imagination of childhood where the adventurous characters she creates play an active part in their own story.


For more information, please visit Hilary's website or follow her on instagram.

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Review: The Book of Australian Trees

This book is a love song to Australia Trees. The sound of this song comes through in poetic prose.

Each tree has a harmony attached to it. It whispers to the singular bark, leaves, and especially to the living things that draw life from its existence, including humans.

It is the first book for children on Australian trees. That’s why this book stands out.

The beautiful illustrations by Alicia Rogerson allow identification of trees planted on nature strips throughout our country and happily, in the suburbs where our children pass daily.

Each tree is presented with its origins, place of residence and growth, lifespan, the type of bark that covers its trunk and the evolution of this bark. It also speaks of its leaves. For example, the colour of the bell-shaped flowers that adorn the Illawarra Flame tree – (Brachychiton acerifolius) after the leaves have fallen.

There are strong trees that withstand fires and others that don’t. Each tree’s contribution to the ecosystem is noted in an expansive and interesting form.

When addressing the Moreton Bay Fig – (Ficus macrophylla), its size and volume is what stands out. Green catbirds, wompoo fruit-doves, topknot pigeons, regent bowerbirds and grey-headed flying-foxes feast on its fruit.

This tree grows up to sixty metres high and spreads as much. Famous for their massive roots, the Morton Bay Fig trunks expand and twist as if swaying to an invisible sound.

A symphony of sound, Latin and English, is the ancient Antarctic Beech – (Nothofagus Moorei), which now grows in the areas known as Gondwana Rainforests of Australia. They also have twisted trunks covered in moss and lichen. Their new spring foliage is bright red or orange.

We are surprised on every page by the information offered to accompany the stunning images. Facts about each tree are a pleasure to read and learn about as the prose has a light-hearted joy to it, as if the writer sees for the first time, what she describes.

Inga Simpson is a tree lover that spends a lot of time walking through forests. Author of Understory and Where the Trees Were, nature dictates her life by singing its song to her heart.

Title: The Book of Australian Trees
Author: Inga Simpson
Illustrator: Alicia Rogerson
Publisher: Hachette, $ 29.99
Publication Date: 26 May 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 9780734418531
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture Book

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Review: Common Wealth

12 Curly Questions with author Cristina Sanders

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I’ve got a second-degree black belt in karate.

2. What is your nickname?
Fastest uphill runner in the world (haha, I wish)

3. What is your greatest fear?
Dying. I can get over pretty much anything else.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
There’s space between the lines. Readers can figure stuff out.

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Tenacious, authentic, grounded, mercurial, perspicacious.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Scarlett O’Hara. I’d love to have that sass, though I wouldn’t be quite as mean.

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
1840s to sort out the blokes’ attitudes and kick start the women’s revolution. It would be a different world today.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
You go, girl.

9. Who is your greatest influence?
Sir David Attenborough. He is my moral compass. If I have a problem, I just ask myself: what would Sir David do? And when I’ve finished saving the turtles with him the problem has disappeared.

10. What/who made you start writing?
My 10-year-old self. It just took a while to listen to her.

11. What is your favourite word and why?
Plum. Go on, say it. Feels good, ae?

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
War & Peace, by Leo Tolstoy. The rest of my life is a long time and I’d hate to be bored.

 

Cristina Sanders is an historical fiction novelist from Wellington, now living in Hawke's Bay. She writes, runs on the hills, plants native trees to regenerate the forest her ancestors cut down and, whenever she can, sails away on tall ships with groups of crazy but charismatic kids. For more information, see www.cristinasanders.me.

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Review: I Hate Reading: How To Read When You'd Rather Not

Review: Everything We Keep

Agatha at thirteen, has been shuffled around from home to home for years with an orange suitcase that she takes everywhere with her.

In and out of foster care, Agatha has accepted that nobody really understands her predicament. She believes no one can help her. Each return home to her parents is agony. She feels like their house is swallowing them alive.

She has stopped going to school as her classmates and others in the school yard make fun of her, and tease and ridicule her family to the point where she can’t bear to go.

Then Agatha stays with Katherine and doesn’t want to leave. Although she knows her placement there is only temporary, she wishes it was permanent.

The reason for Agatha’s extreme unhappiness is slowly peeled back , clue by clue, to reveal her family circumstances. With heart-wrenching sympathy for this extraordinary main character, we begin to grasp the reasons for her desolate life but still, the pivotal reason is held back.

When she meets Tully, for the first time in her life, Agatha has a friend. But her family secrets, even so far from home, threaten to steal everything from her again. As Agatha gets a longer placement with Katherine and the possibility of a semi-permanent stay, Agatha begins to believe that things just might change.

It is when her friendship with Tully strengthens, Agatha feels compelled to show her what she has kept secret.

It is the things unsaid in this novel, that keep the reader riveted and longing to reach the real reason for all that has gone on in Agatha’s life. Every chapter cleverly focuses on and around the child, her feelings and emotions. This does not stop the reader from feeling a deep compassion for the position of the parents.

Walker has succeeded in creating a deeply moving story that tears at the heartstrings. A strong impulse to hold and comfort the lost and lonely Agatha will creep in and catch you unaware.

 Everything We Keep is Walker’s second book. Her debut novel, Unpacking Harper Holt, was published in late 2018. I look forward to what comes next.Title: Everything We Keep
Author: Di Walker
Publisher: Scholastic, $ 18.99
Publication Date: 2 April 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760972349
For ages: 9+
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: Mirror's Edge

Prepare yourself for a fast-paced, action-packed story. 

Mirror's Edge, the third book in Scott Westerfeld's Impostors series, opens as a team of young rebels begins a bold and risky stealth mission to Shreve.

It's a city where your every move is watched by surveillance dust. A place where lives are controlled by a dictator. 

Frey and her comrades are out to rescue Boss X who is being held by the dictator, Frey's father.

To succeed in outwitting the city's surveillance, and her father in particular, Frey has had camo-surge, a special medical procedure to change her appearance so she is not recognisable.

This is the latest of many challenges for Frey, who is struggling with her identity and place in the world.

Frey's world has been rocked by revelations that change her understanding of herself and the people around her.

Like the books that came before it, Mirror's Edge continues to explore themes that are incredibly relevant. First and foremost it will make you think about identity and image. It will make you think about privacy, artificial intelligence, history, and the environment. 

It will also make you think about what is real and what is not, how our lives will be remembered and recorded, and how the actions we take today – the way we live – will impact the future.

Scott Westerfeld is a master at world-building, and it feels as if what he's created could be remarkably prescient if we're not careful.

Mirror's Edge is surprising, shocking, sad, and thought-provoking. It's difficult to imagine where the story will go next, but I will again be waiting eagerly to read it.

You can also read our reviews of book one, Impostors, and book two, Shatter City.

Title: Mirror's Edge (Impostors book 3)
Author: Scott Westerfeld
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $ 24.99
Publication Date: April 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760528263
For ages: 13+
Type: Young Adult Fiction

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Giveaway: Florence and Fox

Review: The Biggest Thing of All

The Biggest Thing of All is a delicate representation of love; an emotive picture book in which the seasons become metaphors for the circle of life. 

Romina Galotta’s poignant, immersive translation keeps step with Kathryn Thurman’s excellent text in a visual display of all life and its beauty.

Lily has a warm and loving relationship with her grandparents. She shares everything with them and they with her, and in this way learns lessons about the connection of everything in the Universe.

The smell of Grandma’s lavender fills the house as they pick and dry the bundles. Rain is setting in and outdoor activities slow and then stop due to the weather.

So does Grandma. She sits more often in her chair and then one day she is not there.

Winter comes early. Sadness fills the house. Anger fills Lily. She can’t accept the unfairness or bare the weight of her loss.

Grandpa keeps to his room. He has lost his smile as has all the family.

Then Spring arrives. The garden is overrun with weeds. Lily looks for signs of life beneath rocks and in the dirt. She remembers Grandma’s words: everything is part of something bigger.

The ground begins to move and come alive as things that live beneath, surface. Flowers start to sprout; a hedgehog is found in the bushes. The whole family joins in to celebrate the rebirth of the earth after its winter burial under the snow.

With a new season, a new circle of life begins. Grandma is everywhere; in the garden that they cared for, in the stars that they looked at together, in the baking and other countless activities they shared with love and togetherness. These memories keep Grandma alive in their hearts.

Title: The Biggest Thing of All
Author: Kathryn Thurman
Illustrator: Romina Galotta
Publisher: New South Books, $ 16.99
Publication Date: 18 March 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781789561173
For ages: 4+
Type: Picture Book

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Junior Review: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

Review: Skulduggery Pleasant: Dead or Alive.

Bestselling author, Derek Landy, returns with the fourteenth book in the Skulduggery Pleasant series.

Reader beware!

At around 600 pages, tackling this book is an undertaking.

Then again, the length of the previous books has not put off Landy’s legions of fans.

Initially published as a series of three trilogies, the story arc was rounded off in the ninth book in 2014, with the evil Darquesse finally being vanquished by our heroes, Valkyrie Cain and the sharply dressed skeleton detective, Skulduggery Pleasant.

However, a new series was launched in 2017 featuring the old favourites, the old antagonists plus some new characters.

This is the fourth in the series of five.

Considering that Valkyrie has grown up and is now in her twenties, Landy introduced some new teenage protagonists, and retained the characters who survived through the first nine books.

In this installment, the near-end of humanity draws near. Plus, more frighteningly, end-of-year exams are approaching for Omen, Never and Auger.

Landy throws time travel into the mix, and Valkyrie is given a glimpse of a future about twenty years’ time in which the Faceless Ones are in power, most of humanity is enslaved and sorcerers’ power enables the domination. Her sister, Alice, has transformed into a swaggering bully who is part of the powerful elite.

Skulduggery and co decide that drastic action is required to prevent this future from transpiring and plan to assassinate the charismatic leader. Maybe not their smartest move.

It’s a fast paced book. However, it covers multiple threads and would leave those who are unfamiliar with the series and characters flummoxed. I don’t recommend that those who have never read any of the series to start with this one. Nevertheless, it is full of Landy’s trademark wit and sparkling dialogue, and I therefore encourage those who have not read any of his works to sample the superb first book in the series (see review here ), or one of the many novellas set in that universe. 

The humour had me smiling in places. However, as his fourteenth book, I was left with the feeling that I had seen it all before and found the set-up a bit strained.

One for the fans.

Title: Skulduggery Pleasant: Dead or Alive.
Author: Derek Landy
Publisher: Harper Collins, $19.99
Publication Date: 21 April 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9780008386313
For ages: 11+
Type: Middle Grade Fiction

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Review: Cuckoo's Flight

Continuing in the same fantasy world as her two previous novels – Dragonfly Song and Swallow’s Dance, Cuckoo’s Flight’s main attraction is the shared prose and verse style that Wendy Orr employs to create vivid images that bring every scene to life. 

The powerful, generous-hearted, disabled protagonist, Clio, powers the story.

Full of resilience and courage, compassion and kindness, and on the cusp of womanhood, Clio refuses to allow her disability to define who she is or steal from her, what she is capable of becoming.

Bronze Age Crete is an era of tightly held traditions and customs, priestesses, oracles and sacrifices – animal and human. Close to the sea, sailors, traders, potters, and other technicians live guided by the tides and the Moon.

Envy and greed play a large role in this story. Juxtaposed beautifully against these negative emotions, are the unchanging bonds that tie the women and girls together. 

Frequently, compassion, trust and friendships are tested but never severed.

Preparations draw closer for the annual sacrifices demanded by the Great Mother to keep the town safe. Leira, Clio’s grandmother, creates a priestess image to offer up in place of a live sacrifice. Then she dies. Clio must safeguard this offering in her place.
 

When Clio’s best friend Delia is chosen as the sacrifice, Clio, regardless of her limitations, will move heaven and earth to save her. This seems small in comparison to what awaits the town.

With her father and the men away on a trading mission, raiders decide to attack in order to steal and enslave the women and children.

But Clio is determined to fight till the end to save her town. Driving the chariot her father built for her, she goes at the Lady’s bidding, to take messages and bring help by offering trust and purpose to the poorer, purple people who have lived till then, as slaves in poverty.

Cuckoo’s Flight is multi-layered with sub-stories entering and exiting. Fast-paced drama, action and emotion, build tension, especially in the descriptive battle scenes.

Orr has immersed herself completely in the places she writes about to build authentic settings and exciting characters,

This brilliant novel claims the reader’s attention from the first page and doesn’t release it till the last word.

Title: Cuckoo's Flight
Author: Wendy Orr
Publisher: Allen & Unwin, $16.99
Publication Date: 2 March 2021
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781760524913
For ages: 9 – 13
Type: Junior Fiction

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Guest Post: Peter Millett on Making A funny Audio Book for Kids

Review: Upside Down Friday

The unexpected that comes with change can be a good thing, even for children. It means surprises, and buddies that bring balloons and friendship, and new things to learn and share.

Is Hugo ready for all this?

Mum is calling Hugo to get dressed. It is Friday and Hugo doesn’t want to go to school. He is grumpy and hides beneath the covers. 

Friday makes things upside-down.

Hugo wants his days to be the same. He knows what follows what.

Why does Friday have to be different?

But there is a reason why teachers call it Upside-Down Friday!

Hugo drags his back-pack across the room as he thinks of what he does each day.

He is sad and sullen. His porridge gets cold waiting for the spoon.

His mum explains why Fridays are different. Her words echo in his mind as he heads off to school.

Do others feel the same as Hugo does? 

Can the day become as light as air again?

This delightful, emotive picture book is made more so by the alliteration and descriptive metaphors that make up the clever text by Lana Spasevski.

The stunning illustrations by the talented Nicki Johnston make the story float. Her perfect choice of delicate colours and the use of animals as characters, adorn the pages with expressive images, whether upside-down or right-side-up.

Each turn of the page brings new emotions into the story. Pictures and words are in perfect sync.

The brilliant cover picture shows the carefree Hugo swinging from a branch between two trees. This invites the reader inside. The end pages are covered in branches of colourful leaves.

Title: Upside Down Friday
Author: Lana Spasevski
Illustrator: Nicki Johnston
Publisher: Exisle, $ 24.95
Publication Date: 7 April 2021
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 978192820850
For ages: 5+
Type: Picture Book

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12 Curly Questions with author Caroline O'Donoghue

1. Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I once got in a fight with the band Little Mix!

2. What is your nickname?
Most of the people close to me call me Car or Caro.

3. What is your greatest fear?
Losing my dog while on a walk.

4. Describe your writing style in 10 words.
“Just trying my best to tell an interesting, funny story”

5. Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer.
Cheerful, interested, and rarely late.

6. What book character would you be, and why?
Laura Chant from The Changeover, by Margaret Mahy. She’s so brave and funny, and she becomes a witch to save her brother!

7. If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
Paris in the 1920s – provided I was invited to all the good parties, of course.

8. What would your 10-year-old self say to you now?
I think she would be curious as to why I don’t have a pony.

9. Who is your greatest influence?
Diana Wynne Jones. She was a fantasy writer who wrote extremely complex books but they could all be understood by children.

10. What/who made you start writing? 
I wrote my first story when I was about seven. It was about a magic tree, and the teacher said it was good. I went home and showed my parents, and they were so pleased and proud of me. I’m from a big-ish family so getting singled out for anything felt amazing, so I kept writing, and haven’t stopped!

11. What is your favourite word and why?
It changes all the time, but right now it’s 'vaccination'.

12. If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be? 
Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones. The book has so many layers, I don’t think I’ll ever understand them all.

Caroline O'Donoghue is a journalist and author. She has published two adult novels, Promising Young Women and Scenes of a Graphic Nature, and is currently working on a collection of personal essays exploring her experiences of feminism and witchcraft. She has a regular column in The Irish Examiner, and has written for The Irish Independent, Glamour, Buzzfeed and Vice, among others. Caroline also hosts Sentimental Garbage, a podcast in which she reviews commercial women's fiction titles with other authors. All Our Hidden Gifts is her first novel for young adults. Visit Caroline on Twitter: @Czaroline

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